A 6-year followup study was conducted for 36 low birth weight Spanish-American children (3 to 5 years old) who participated in a special intervention program. The program, designed around the Responsive Environment concept, provided educational stimulation. Utilizing teacher interviews, achievement measures, and trend analysis, the study found…

A meta-analysis of eight studies, involving 192 subjects, was performed to ascertain the efficacy of hospitalization of children with nonorganic failure to thrive. Hospitalization was found to approximately double the probability of catch-up physical growth for the children, but psychosocial development was only modestly hastened by…

Examines young children's physical development and how growth is linked to cognitive and social development. Discusses problems in American children's diets and the use of height-for-age and weight-for-height as indicators of physical maturity. Considers complexities of the physical-cognitive relationship and identifies possible ways that social…

Surveyed Japanese high school students' health risk behavior patterns, examining clustering and accumulation of health risk behaviors. Physical inactivity and alcohol use were the most common risk behaviors. Prevalence rates for most risk behaviors varied by demographic variables. Smoking, drinking, and sexual intercourse clustered among both…

Investigated relationships between physical activity and athletic participation and body-size perceptions, diet, and weight-control practice among high school students, noting racial and gender differences. Surveys indicated that diet quality improved and weight-loss attempts increased as physical activity and athletic participation increased.…

Background: In an earlier series of studies, we documented the effects of feeding practices and postnatal maternal mood on the growth and development of 226 Barbadian children during the first few months of life. In this report, we extend our earlier studies by examining predictive relationships between infant size, feeding practices and…

National surveys that have tracked weight and physical activity in the United States for more than 40 years have shown a continuing increase in the number of overweight children and adolescents. Overweight children and adolescents are showing an increase in diseases related to overweight: Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and…

The health practices of school nurses affect our role as advocates and educators to promote the health of youth. This study describes the health practices of a convenience sample of 388 school nurses who attended the business meeting at an annual school nurse conference. A self-administered, 40-item questionnaire identified health practices of…

Very little is known about body satisfaction among minority children. This study examined the relationship between perceived and actual body size and Body Mass Index among 43 low-socioeconomic Hispanic 3rd-graders. Researchers measured participants' Body Mass Index; students self-reported Perceived Ideal Self Image and Perceived Actual Self Image…

The purpose of this study was to investigate among postmenopausal women the relationship of dietary fat intake, tobacco smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and body weight to total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol measures in order to assess the relative influence of each…

The 10-volume "Health Facts" series is intended to supplement health education curricula and to provide a handy reference for individuals who would like additional background information on particular health topics. The emphasis is placed on topics and examples relevant to youth of middle and high school age. The five sections in this…

This paper describes an external evaluation study of the Responsive Environment Early Education Program (formerly known as the Responsive Environment Program for Spanish American Children), an educational intervention program for "high risk" (low birth weight) 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children in Clovis, New Mexico. Major goals of the…

A summary and discussion of a series of studies considered the dilemma that equal educational treatment of all children in public schools appears likely to increase the spread of differences among them in educational achievement. Longitudinal studies of pairs of identical and of fraternal twins in Sweden from 10 to 18 years of age considered the…

The effects of exercise in children can be assessed by physiological measures of the respiratory and cardiovascular body functions and by anthropometric measures of body composition and maturation. Several methods and techniques in these areas are available to the researcher and practitioner for attempting to assess the physiological aspect of…

Critically reviews the influential study "Malnutrition and Environmental Enrichment" by Winick et al. (1975) and highlights what are considered to be statistical flaws in its analysis. Data in the classic study of height, weight, and IQ changes in three groups of adopted, malnourished Korean girls are reanalysed and conclusions…